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On Wednesday 27th July 2022 I went on an amazing exploration of the huge Dinorwic slate quarry site that is opposite Snowdon and overlooks Llanberis. In July 2021 this area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, joining the likes of the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China! The views are quite simply stunning.
The first commercial attempts at slate mining took place in 1787, and the business boomed after the construction of a horse-drawn tramway to Port Dinorwic in 1824. This became the Padarn Railway, (the first steam locomotives were supplied in 1870 by the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds), a narrow gauge railway now partially preserved as the Llanberis Lake Railway. At its height at the turn of the twentieth century, Dinorwic was the second largest slate quarry in the world, after the neighbouring Penrhyn quarry. It was producing an annual outcome of 100,000 tonnes" and employed more than 3,000 men.
By 1930 its working employment had dropped to 2,000. The quarry closed in July 1969, the result of industrial decline and difficult slate removal. During the 1950s/60s extraction had become very difficult, because after 170 years of extraction many of the unsystematically dumped slate tips were now beginning to slide dangerously into some of the major pit workings, and after an enormous fall in the Garret area of the quarry in 1966 (which can still be seen in Photo 6), production ceased.
Dinorwic quarry covered 700 acres (283 ha) consisting of two main quarry sections with 20 galleries in each. Extensive internal tramway systems connected the quarries using inclines to transport slate between galleries. Many of these inclines still exist (some in better condition than others!) and many buildings are still accessible. There are old rails and bits of quarry equipment everywhere. It’s a fascinating site, but quite dangerous too of course so care must be taken at all times if you’re exploring there. It’s a very popular site for climbers.
Since closure, the National Slate Museum has opened in some of the 19th century workshops that have been impressively preserved. It’s well worth a visit!
Looking back from the hypostyle court to the second pylon, the peristyle court and, furthest away, the first pylon.
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Kew Gardens, London's largest UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Home to the world's most diverse collection of living plants and a scientific research centre of international renown, it's the perfect day out.
Discover beautiful glasshouses including the iconic Palm House and its exotic rainforest; the Princess of Wales Conservatory which invites you to explore 10 of the world's climatic zones; and the Waterlily House with its amazing, giant lily pads.
Visitors of all ages love the 59ft (18m) high Treetop Walkway, which soars into the tree canopy offering a bird's-eye view of the gardens. Enjoy a stroll along the Great Broad Walk Borders, home to more than 60,000 plants, and step into history at Kew Palace, the former summer residence of King George III.
Kew Gardens is less than 30 minutes from central London, and easily reached by road, rail, and London Underground.
Left to right, pyramids 3, 4 and 6. While these royal tombs were all plundered in ancient times, frescos preserved in the tombs show that the rulers were either burned, mummified (or not), and then covered with jewellery and laid in wooden cases. The finds indicated that the deceased would need and enjoy the same things in the afterlife as they had while living.
December 28, 2018 - The adorable kitten getting some food and loving from this traveler outside The Basin Restaurant in Petra.
A Hungarian princess is credited with bringing salt to Poland. After her wedding, she ordered a well dug at Wieliczka where a miner uncovered her engagement ring (which she had thrown in a Hungarian salt mine) from which it had been moved by salt.
View on larger sizes for full effect.
This "surprise cave" with its large, stalagtite/mite filled cavern was an interesting contrast to the cool and serene beauty of Halong Bay.
Modern fountain at the foot of the Hassan Tower.
The second stop on our tour of Rabat, Morocco, was the complex of the modern Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the 12th century Hassan Tower. Construction of the Hassan Tower stopped with the commissioning caliph died, and all that stands is the minaret and some traces of the walls. The modern columns mark the area that the mosque would have filled, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V occupies the other end of the space.
From right to left, pyramids Nu 8 (Aspelta: 593-568 BCE), 9 (Amtalqa: 568-553 BCE) and 10 (Amani-Natake-Lebte: 553-513) with 11 on extreme left (Malewiebamani: 453-423 BCE), 7 in the background on the right (Karkamani: 513-503 BCE).
The area of Jebel Barkal comprises the site of the ancient city of Napata whose ruins are scattered around it. Jebel Barkal was known as the ‘Pure Mountain’ and was the southern residence of the god Amun, an Egyptian state god and the Kushite god of kingship. It is 98 metres high.
I traveled to India for the first time to present a keynote at the 3rd Global Conference on Emerging Trends for Business Librarianship, November 21-22, 2017 at the Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad, India. We did some sightseeing on our last day in India and visited the amazing Rani ki vav stepwell near Patan, north of Ahmedabad. I am so very glad that I made it here. From the Wikipedia page, "Rani ki vav, or Ran-ki vav (Queen’s step well) was constructed during the rule of the Chaulukya dynasty. It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory of Bhima I (r. c. 1022–1064) by his widowed queen Udayamati and probably completed by Udayamati and Karna after his death. A reference to Udayamati building the monument is in Prabandha Chintamani, composed by the Jain monk Merunga Suri in 1304 AD." The term vav is Gujarati for stepwell. Pictures from Thursday November 23, 2017.
The ruins of Spiš Castle in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš. It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of Spišská Kapitula, Spišské Podhradie and Žehra). This is one of the biggest European castles by area (41 426 m²).
In the heyday of the Republic of Venice, Rialto was its world-famous commercial center, renowned for its exotic markets, banks, and as a gathering place to learn the latest news.
"Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly known as the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome (Japanese: 原爆ドーム Genbaku Dome), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hiroshima, Japan. It was established as such in 1996. The site is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition (HMI)."
Again it was too late to view Toshodaiji (UNESCO World Heritage Site) built in 759. Bruce was let in for just a peek of Kondo (main hall) by a caretaker.
View from our hotel room of the Burgos Cathedral. The hotel was jsut across a plaza form the cathedral.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos (Catedral de Santa María de Burgos) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.